The Nobel Clock by Faberge
On the front of the plinth is a plaque with the portraits of
father and son, Ludvig (1831-1888) and Emanuel (1859-1932) and
the inscription: "To commemorate the achievement of the
Nobel Brothers company, having produced one billion pud of crude
oil from 1879 to1906 (1 pud=16 kilos or 35.274 pounds).

On a map of Azerbaijan, both the capital Baku and the Nobel Brothers
oil fields are designated. In the lower left corner, the image
of the world's very first oil tanker Zoroaster is depicted. The
tanker was conceived by Ludvig Nobel, built in Sweden and arrived
at the shores of Baku in 1878.

At the back of the plinth, there is another plaque with a motif
of a female figure holding an oil lamp next to an altar with
a burning flame. On the right, there is a view of the Nobel oil
rigs at Balakhani close to Baku. In the background to the left,
one can see a fortress and some camels loaded with oil bags.
In the distance, the flames of the temple of Zoroaster are burning.

The temple, which was chosen as the symbol of the Nobel Brother's
Petroleum Oil Company, was located outside of Baku, in the village
Surakhani. The historical roots of the monument dates back from
the time when Azerbaijan was founded and Zoroastrianism was the
dominating religion in the district. Fire was something central
in this religion and the burning flames of gas from the underworld,
still visible on the Absheron Peninsula [at Yanardagh] were thought
to have divine power. These fires gave Azerbaijan its name-"Land
of Fire".

Eventually Islam became the official religion of Azerbaijan but
the myths of the eternally burning flames were spread with traders
to India. Hindu pilgrims followed the tradesmen back to the holy
fires and built chapels, stables and guest houses close to the
temple. This continued from late 17th century to the middle of
the 19th century and the temple with its surroundings didn't
look much different than a caravan seraglio with a big central
place around the temple. The site was surrounded by small cells
for the fire temple servants. The Sanskrit and Hindi inscriptions
on the brick walls testifies the Indian background of the pilgrims.
As time passed, the "eternal fires" from Absheron ceased
to be considered divine. Nafta, the very liquid oil of Baku transformed
into paraffin, became an economical and essential asset.

When Alfred Nobel, the famous brother of Ludvig, died in 1896,
he was the largest single stockholder in Nobel Brothers Petroleum
Company in Baku. Approximately, 12 percent of his entire fortune-valued
at 31 million Sweden crowns, which came from the oilfields in
Baku went for the establishment of the international Nobel Prize.
The prize was first awarded in 1901. At that time Emanuel Nobel
was the most successful entrepreneur in the Russian Empire.

In 1904 when the Nobel Brothers Petroleum Company celebrated
its 25th birthday, they had 12,000 employees, 40 oil plants in
the Baku region, 5 refineries, 7 factories, 150 depots, 1,500
tank wagons and 12 tankers. In 1917, the share-capital, which
had grown from 3 to 25 million rubles, was confiscated by the
Soviet authorities. Emanuel fled Russia disguised as a peasant
and settled down in Stockholm and regained his Swedish citizenship
back. He died in 1932. Since then the magnificent clock with
its proud inscription has been carried down in his family.

On June 1, 2006, there will
be a magnificent clock on sale at Bukowski's in Stockholm. This
is the most important work that Emanuel Nobel (1852-1932) ever
had commissioned by Faberge's.

Emanuel Nobel was the son of Ludvig (1831-1888) and took over
the oil business in Baku after his father's death. The famous
memoirs of Franz Birbaum, one of Faberge's work masters, describes
him as one of the firms´ best clients: "E. Nobel,
an oil baron, was so generous in his presents that at times it
seemed that this was his chief occupation and delight. Orders
were constantly being made for him in the workshops, and from
time to time he came to have a look at them. Often he decided
for whom the present should be only after the work was finished.From
among his numerous commissions, the large chimney clock, a reproduction
in stone of the Temple of Fire Worshippers [Atashgah near Baku]
is worth mentioning."